Raised By Wolves
by Jenn0509
Summary: Embry has a problem. Her name is Jenna. She's Seth's daughter, his imprint, human, and unaware of her family's wolfish nature. One night changes everything forever. They can't go back to just being friends. She must choose. Her human life, or the Pack?
1. Chapter 1

Okay...so, here's the first chapter of my official sequel to my Seth/Lilly Saga, with their daughter Jenna. I'm going to say now, if you haven't read my trilogy about Steth and Lilly, you really don't have to. This story will make a little more sense if you've read them, but it can also be a stand alone since the main character knows nothing about anything in that story.

That said, hello to all new readers and welcome back to my old friends. :) This first chapter is a feeler for how well this more book related experiment will go. I'd really like to have some reviews to know what you all think of it. Feedback is vital, so,

Review!

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><p><em>"Touch me I'm cold, unable to control<em>

_Touch me I'm golden and wild as the wind blows_

_And tumbling tumbling, don't go fascination"_

I woke up slowly, my eyes pulling themselves open, and my mind trying dully to process my surroundings. I couldn't remember what happened the night before. It was all so foggy, coming in little spurts:

The party, I went to the party with my boyfriend, Max.

Shoving Max off me when he tried to get my skirt down.

Him laughing and handing me a cup.

The drinks…there must have been something in them. They were strangely…addictive.

Max forcing himself on me later, angry enough to punch me when I fought back.

_"If just for tonight darling, let's get lost_

_If just for tonight darling, let's get lost"_

The pulsing lights and music making me dizzy as I left the house.

Walking down the street barefoot in a daze, my cheek cut, and a scratch on my shoulder bleeding.

Calling someone on my phone.

Embry, driving up and jumping out of his car looking angry as hell.

Feeling safe in his arms as he carried me up his front steps.

Burning from the heat of his body as he moved over me, skin to skin.

_"Let me come closer, I'm not your shadow_

_With our eyes shielding from the oncoming counts_

_It's not hard for us to say what we should not"_

My stomach knotted and my eyes flew open. I sat up, hearing a groan from beside me, and wishing I hadn't.

Embry Call was sprawled across half the bed on his stomach, his firm rear in full view. My hand flew to my mouth to cover my gasp.

The white sheet from his bed was wrapped around me, mocking me silently. I pulled on it gently, relieved to find that none of it was still attached to the bed frame or under Embry.

"Oh God." I muttered in horror to myself. "What have I done?"

_"If just for tonight darling, let's get lost_

_If just for tonight darling, let's get lost"_

I grabbed a shirt off the floor, not really caring that it was his, and as such, about five sizes too big. I found my underwear on the floor next to the bed and puled them on, thankful to have covered the majority of my nakedness. Snatching the rest of my clothes up, including my useless ripped shirt, I did the only natural thing I could think of, I ran.

The screen door crashed behind me, but I kept running, pulling my skirt on and finally slowing to a walk as I turned the corner at the end of his street. The last thing I needed was for any one to find me looking like an idiot, running around with my clothes all messed up.

I'd grown up in La Push, so it wasn't hard for me to find my way back to the street I'd grown up on. It was early, the sun just coming up behind the clouds. I stopped at the end of my street, looking down it with trepidation. I had told my parent's that I would be back by two…it was undoubtedly later than that. My father had probably driven around La Push since just before two, and my mother was probably up with my aunt calling all the neighbors.

_"Touch me I'm cold, unable to control_

_Touch me I'm golden and wild as the wind blows_

_And tumbling tumbling, don't go fascination."_

God, what had I done? I'd slept with a man I'd known my whole life! He was one of my father's best friends, and had only been back from the army for a few days. I couldn't face my parents like this. I tucked Embry's giant shirt into my skirt, making it appear less like a man's shirt. My plan was to sneak upstairs, take a shower, and go to bed.

I had to stop when I reached the front of my house, the house my father had grown up in as well. My brother was asleep in the hammock on the front yard, something he'd done since he was old enough to challenge the childproof lock on the front door.

I looked down at his sleeping face and smiled, but then looked at the dark clouds, that promised rain. I couldn't leave him outside. Once, when he was five, he had been sleeping outside and it had stormed. He had been sick for a week after. Our mom had not been happy.

I picked him up, grunting a little under his weight, but comforted by his earthy, little boy smell. He was wearing the Superman watch our parents had bought him for Christmas, and according to it, it was nearly six in the morning.

_"If just for tonight darling, let's get lost_

_If just for tonight darling, let's get lost_

_If just for tonight darling, let's get lost."_

Rafe was ten, and on the scrawny side, so I could still carry him, but I was tired, so going up the front porch stairs was a challenge. I almost dropped him on the top step, stumbling over a toy train. I caught myself on the railing with my left shoulder. "Rafe." I hissed, shaking my head in amusement as I righted myself. I'd missed the little guy. There weren't too many little kids at college. I kicked the toy out of the way, and peered over my brother to make sure there weren't any more on the porch.

I worked the front door open, unsurprised to find it unlocked. We were a pretty secluded town, and no one would steal from a neighbor. Another thing was that most of the men in our town were really big guys. My father was on the small side, and he was still over six feet tall. At ten, Rafe was just a few inches shy of five feet tall, but still very skinny. I had a feeling that the brawn would come after he'd gone through puberty.

I laid him on the sofa of the front living room, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard my mother's voice, "Jenivieve Sue Clearwater. What are you up to?"

"Mom!"

_"Oooooh ooooooh oooooh_

_Let's get lost_

_Let's get lost_

_Let's get lost_

_Let's get lost..."_

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><p>The song is "Let's Get Lost" It was on one of the Twilight soundtracks. I have the next few chapters written and edited. Any and all reviews will be greatly appreciated.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Yay for feedback! Keep it coming! I'd like to give you chapter before this weekend at least. (My friends and I are having a Star Wars party complete with a Star Wars cookbook before all of our AP Exams start and we lose our social lives.) And seeing as today is the most likely last day I'll have without studying for any AP tests or quizes, I'm putting this chapter up. If I get a bunch of reviews, I might be able to put the third chapter up tonight.

I have a question though, should I make some Embry chapters or keep with using Jenna as the narrator?

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><p>I wanted to run, I wanted to crawl into my bed and never see the world again, but my mother's silver eyes bore into me. She studied me intently,"Yes, last time I checked, I was your mom." She took a drink of water from the glass in her hands "I may be thirty seven, but I don't think that's something I could forget."<p>

"Hi mom."

She smiled wryly, "Hi Jenna."

"I was just going upstairs." I said, sliding closer to the staircase.

"Okay." My mom said, "That's fine. We can talk about this later."

"What?" I said, my voice rising in panic. Did she know? No, I told myself, she couldn't possibly have.

She sighed, "Jenna, It's nearly five in the morning. I know that you're in college now, but you can't just blow off curfew. Your father was worried sick."

I calmed myself. "Curfew, right. Yeah, sorry about that mom."

She stood up, hugging me gently. "It's okay, I just worried about you. You should really have told me you were going to be later." I was so embarrassed, and I wanted to push her off of me. I felt dirty, and I was spreading it to my poor mother. "With the way Megan has been acting, I'm really paranoid. I'm sorry."

"I-It's okay." I stammered, but paused, "What do you mean 'the way Megan has been acting'? She seemed fine since I've been here."

She squeezed my shoulders before she released me, shaking her head, "Don't worry about it. We'll talk later in the morning. You should get some sleep, you look half dead."

"Yeah…wake me up before noon, won't you?" She nodded, moving to wrap a blanket around my brother.

"Sweet dreams, baby girl." For the first time, I wasn't her baby girl anymore. I was no longer the virginal daughter my parents had raised. I just wanted to leave. I had ruined my relationship with Embry, and I was sure he would come around looking for me sooner or later. I couldn't bare the look on my mother's face when she learned that I'd had sex before marriage.

"Night mom." I whispered as I headed up the narrow stairs.

"Jenna?" I froze on the steps. "What happened to your shoulder?"

I looked at my right shoulder, noticing that it was covered in dried blood, "I-I don't know."

She came up the stairs to me, pulling Embry's shirt off my shoulder. She touched it gently, "Jenna, this looks really bad! What did you do?"

I looked to see what she was seeing. The back of my shoulder looked like a really angry cat had scratched it raw. The skin was red and puffy, but I couldn't really feel it. My head was buzzing, and I could vaguely remember Max pushing me into a concrete column, but I really didn't think that would have shredded my shoulder.

"I don't know, mom." I said quietly.

She hissed, "Come on, let's get that cleaned up."

I shook my head, "No, mom, I'm going to go take a shower. I'll clean it up on my own. Thanks though."

She nodded slowly, "Okay, but I want to look at it in the morning to make sure it won't get infected."

I smiled at her; she was so overprotective. I loved her for that, "Yes, momma."

She kissed me on the head, "I worry about you, baby girl."

I hugged her, wincing as my shoulder protested, "You don't need to worry about me. I'm a big girl."

She sighed, "I know you are, and so beautiful too. The man you end up with will be a very, very lucky man." I stiffened, and looked out at the living room over her shoulder. As far as I could see, I was damaged goods. My parent's, while they wouldn't say it too my face, would feel the same. My father had always told me to save it for the man I knew was going to be 'The One'. Embry wasn't him. Sure, I loved the man, but he was practically an uncle to me. He just couldn't be it.

I blinked back tears, "I'm dirty, momma." The words spilled from my mouth, "I-I need to take that shower." I covered quickly, pulling out of my mother's reach, "Night, tell daddy I'll see him later."

I quickly ran up the stairs, barely hearing my mother call after me, her voice hurt and confused, but just as steady and strong, like she always was, "I will."

In the shower I suddenly came to the realization that while I had been slightly intoxicated, Embry had no such excuse. He had allowed it. The older, responsible man had used me. Did he even think I would remember? Had he hoped to drop me in my front lawn before I woke up? He'd known I wasn't a morning person before, but after my first few weeks of college, I'd sort of grown out of it.

So, an hour later, I was laying on my bed, fuming over Embry and listening to my sister snore obliviously from her bed on the opposite wall. I was wearing an old Forks High t-shirt, my shoulder wrapped haphazardly in gauze as best as I could do on my own, and a pair of red flannel pants but I was still cold. It was always so cold in our house, something I hadn't missed. I was home for fall break, my first visit since I'd gone to college in early August.

I'm not exactly sure when sleep finally pulled me down, but the next thing I knew, a warm body was laying next to me on my twin bed. At first I froze, trying to figure out who was in bed with me, since I apparently now had a problem with other people not leaving me alone to sleep. I opened one eye and sighed when I saw the head of scruffy dark hair belonging to my baby brother, Rafael, who we just called Rafe.

"Jenna." He murmured sleepily, "I missed you."

I squeezed him, marveling again at how warm he was. "I missed you too, squirt."

He giggled, "Momma says I need to wake you up, but I want to go back to sleep."

"What time is it?"

"Like eight thirty." He grumbled, edging himself closer to me, putting his head on my chest.

"Why do we have to get up now? It's a Saturday." I said, resting my chin on the top of his head.

"I know." The noise he made sounded like an actual growl. I shivered despite his heat, "But momma says we're having guests soon, and she wants to check up on you." He giggled, "Only I'm not supposed to tell you the last part."

I scoffed mockingly at him, "Good job with the instructions Rafe."

He sat up, smiling at me, "I missed you. You're my big sister. I love you. I don't need to lie to you. Which is why I'm going to tell you what momma told me not to. We're having vampires over for lunch."

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><p>Haha, I love small children. (One of the reasons I want to be a teacher.)<p>

If anyone is curious, here are the Clearwater kids full names, and I've left descriptions of why I named them that.

_Jenivieve "Jenna" Sue Clearwater (Named after her Grandma Sue and her mother, Sue means Lilly.)_

_Mererid "Megan" Alyvia Clearwater (Mererid is the original version of Megan, which means Pearl. Alyvia is an alternate spelling for Olivia, meaning Elf Army as well as being the femenine form of Oliver, after Lilly's twin brother.)_

_Rafe Harris Clearwater (Rafe means Wolf Counsel, and Harris means Son of Harry after Seth's father, Harry.)_

Hope you enjoyed that little Anthroponymy lesson. :)

Please review!

-Jenn


	3. Chapter 3

Alrighty, here is a rather long chapter for you all. I couldn't find a good place to cut it in half, so I just went with it. I hope you enjoy it, and I'm going to try to get an Embry chapter written for after the next chapter, which is already done.

Review!

-Jenn

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><p>That got me upright, "Vampires? Really? Do you think I'm that gullible?" I pushed him gently off my bed and he landed on the floor with a solid thud. "Get out, I need to change clothes."<p>

"Jenna!" He protested as I steered him to the door, "I'm not lying! It's what momma said!"

I stopped before I slammed the door in his face, "Rafe, has momma been telling you those stories again?"

We both knew the ones I was talking about, the ones where our mother spoke of Avalon, her voice rising and falling as she weaved the stories of vampires, Merlin and creatures called Rowan. She was an excellent storyteller, and even had one of the longer stories based on how she and my father had fought to be together, filled with murder, lies and love. The three of us had been weaned on those stories, but I had thought that we had all come to the truth that they were just stories, as beautiful, and as terrible and threatening as they were, they weren't real.

I looked at my brother's face, judging his expression, "Rafe?" I asked after he didn't reply.

"No! She hasn't been telling me those stories! I was telling you the truth!" I'd hurt his feelings, I could tell that much, and he ran off, tears in his eyes.

I sighed, but closed the door. It looked like Megan had been gone for hours, her bed was made and her pajamas folded neatly at the foot of the bed. I got the feeling that she was avoiding me. The only time I'd been able to see her since I got here was just the ends of her brown curls sticking out from under her covers.

Just like when we were kids, she still slept with her head under the covers. It was endearing, but then again, Megan and I hadn't gotten on in years. We had a…tenuous relationship. I still loved Megan, but around when she turned fifteen, she just…pushed me away. It annoyed me, so most of our conversations up until I left for college were mean and cutting on both ends. I wasn't the cause, but I was by no means innocent in our failed relationship. It had started out as normal sibling squabbling with an edge of stressed teenaged hormones, but had quickly morphed into out right hostility. How we had managed to not kill each other during the last year I lived at home, I might never know.

I looked away from her bed, thinking about how sweet she looked when all you could see were those damnable curls. No one was really sure how my sister had ended up with curls, since our father's hair was straight and black, and our mother's was brown, but had barely any curl to it, more like kinks that made her hair fall in basically two very loose curls and most days, she would blow it dry and it would be just as straight as mine. Megan had started blowing hers dry, but still couldn't get all of the kinks out.

I was feeling patriotic I guess, or maybe just wanted to not wear something that made me feel vulnerable. My Spartan hoodie was warm but clean, and my jeans were worn the way I liked them. I missed home.

I had gotten in yesterday afternoon and nearly immediately after, I'd been picked up by Max and gone to the party. Max was a jerk. I knew that, but part of me was afraid that I would end up alone so I had kept a hold of the Forks native when we had both ended up at California State. I was done with him now, even with how things had turned out later that night, he had attacked me.

Of course, thinking of Max made me think of Embry. I still couldn't believe what he had done. He had taken advantage of me. I had trusted him, that was why I had called him…I think. He had been sort of like a mentor to me, my best friend in some ways while I was a kid. Maybe this was why he had pulled away from me when I'd gotten older, a sick perverted crush on his friend's young daughter. Being the danger magnet I seemed to be, it must have seemed like I was offering myself to him.

Now I was angry at myself again.

"Jenna?" A soft rap on the door accompanied my father's voice.

"What?" I said harsher than intended.

"Sorry, but what happened with the kid? He just ran to your mom crying." I heard him sigh through the old door, "You two normally don't fight."

I flinched, "Yeah, it's just a misunderstanding. I'll take care of it."

"Okay, but do I get to at least get to see you?" He said.

I smiled, standing up and walking to the door before opening it and stepping into the hall. "Hi daddy." He smiled, wrapping me in a long awaited hug. I rested my head on his shoulder, which I still barely came up to, and he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Hello, baby girl. I missed you." He kissed the top of my head before pulling away suddenly, "Are you bleeding?" He asked with an incredulous look on his face, sniffing.

I pushed his hands away, "It's nothing." I tried to go back into my room, keeping my face down.

He held it open with one hand and jerked my chin up with the other, "Jenivieve, what happened to you?"

"Nothing!" I said, a little louder than I'd planned on.

"Jenna," He said, grabbing my wrist to keep me from darting away, "You're cheek is bleeding."

"Dad, it's nothing!" I jerked my wrist away, knowing he wasn't holding tight enough to hurt me, he never did. I went into the bathroom across the hall to inspect the damage, locking the door behind me to keep my nosy father out. My right cheek had a bloody cut just under the eye, a bruise had already formed under it, staining my tan skin dark blue. It was bleeding, but just a little on the corner next to my nose, like I'd reopened it when I'd smiled, hardly enough to notice.

A few minutes later, and you could hardly tell that I had a giant bruise on my face. Makeup was a wonderful thing for times like these. I brushed out my hair and pulled it into a ponytail. Satisfied that I looked as good as I was going to look, in a sweatshirt and jeans, I checked my shoulder. It looked better than the night before, more like a really bad scrap and less like a deep cut. I gingerly wrapped it in gauze again before pulling my shirt back down.

I went to the living room. My brother was sulking in his favorite chair, the old red recliner that had once been in our Grandpa Charlie's house…before Grandma Sue had moved into his house and demanded that the thing be moved. So, my father had saved it, and had put it in our house. It was just another of the eclectic furniture pieces that my father had littered over the house, against Grandma Sue's decorating advice.

I would admit that after over twenty years in his house, it smelled like Grandpa Charlie still. I couldn't wait to see him.

Out of all of the people in La Push, I'd always missed Grandpa Charlie and Aunt Leah the most. I loved my parents, but Charlie and Leah were the two people that I felt like I could tell anything to. I knew Grandpa Charlie never lied to me, and Leah wasn't about to go tell my parents when I'd messed up, she was like the sister I should have had in Megan.

I knew I needed to talk about what happened with Embry, and I was still trying to figure out which one I would go to when my sister walked in the front door. She looked really bad. I'd seen her with all sorts of childhood ailments, but I'd never seen her look like this. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a white tank top, which was pretty much her staple fashion. There was a difference now though. I could see every bone in her body. Her face was sallow and pale, her cheek bones prominant on her face, her eyes were glassy, a flat grey rather than their usual silver. All of the muscle that had once been on her body was was grotesquely skinny, probably not weighing more than a hundred and ten pounds. It was so wrong to see her like this.

She raked a sneer over me, seemingly oblivious to my scrutiny. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

"Megan." I said with a sigh, rolling my eyes behind my closed eyelids. Whatever had caused her body to change certainly hadn't changed her attitude. "Can you please not be a bitch to me right when I get home? Can't you at least wait a day or so? You know, let me get ready for the claws?"

Our mom walked in about midway through the last sentence. She looked like she really wanted to disappear down the hall again, but said awkwardly, "Well…I suppose you two have said hello now. Megan, would you like to help me in the kitchen?"

"No, I have homework." She said, going towards the stairs.

Mom just looked at me with one brown eyebrow raised, "I thought she did it last night. Oh well, will you come help me?"

I nodded, "Sure."

We linked arms and ambled slowly into the kitchen, "Your shoulder okay?" Mom asked, leaning her head on my good shoulder.

"Yeah, it's just a nasty road rash. I'll be fine." I breathed in the warm, comforting scent that was my mother, "Makeup did wonders for my face too."

She laughed, "I noticed."

"Meg doesn't look too good." I noted softly.

My mother nodded, "Hasn't for a few weeks now. She won't talk to your father and I, and not even when we…" She paused before changing her words, "We thought maybe she'd talk to you."

I laughed out loud at that, "Mom! It's more likely that we'll have vampires over for lunch than that she will talk to me! She hates me!"

My mother had that odd look in her eyes that she got when she was lying to me…only she wasn't talking yet. She took a deep breath, "Jenna, she loves you."

I started reading over the open page of the cook book on the counter, "I wish that was true mom, but it's not. She hasn't tried to be nice to me in years. I have a really hard time remembering a time when we got along at all. I don't even know why."

Mom smiled ruefully, "You girls do love to fight, but it's worth a try."

I nodded reluctantly, "I guess."

She shook her head, "And for the record, we aren't having vampires for lunch."

I snorted, "I didn't think so, but in Rafe's la-la-land, we are."

Mom shrugged, but looked wary, "I'll talk to him."

"You should, he's old enough that he should know the difference between what's real and what's just a story our mom used to tell us." I said, citing my college classes mentally.

"I know!" My mom said, giggling nervously, "Geez, I really should have thought about not sending you to college to be a sociologist, now you can see how terrible a mother I am!"

I hugged her, kissing her cheek before moving to chop up an onion, "You're the best mom, Rafe just doesn't want to leave the land of make believe. I assume that he'll grow out of it soon."

"You're the one studying that stuff!" My mom said, reaching up and spinning the spice racks, "Crap." She said quietly, "Jenna, would you mind going to the store and getting some basil?"

"The store?" I choked out.

"Yeah," She said looking me over critically, "What's wrong?" I didn't say anything. "You're not afraid of Embry are you? You two used to be friends."

I shrugged, "Things change, that's all."

"Well, better you go now than later when everyone goes to the bonfire tonight." Mom said, slicing a tomato with a large knife and steady hands.

"The bonfire?" I said, surprised.

She nodded, "Yeah, Sam wants everyone to have a little party, just to keep everyone together." She stopped and kissed me on the cheek, "Now that you're home."

Yeah, that was me, I was the little girl who had gone away for college…to California...an hour and a half away. I was sort of the reservation's favorite piece of gossip for a very long time. All four grandparents called every other weekend. Grandma Sue and Grandpa Charlie one weekend and Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Raven the next, and so on and so forth. My mother called on Friday nights because they were the nights that my father got home early from work and could talk to me after she was done.

Aunt Leah called, "Whenever the hell [she] feel[s] like it." Sometimes she would let her kids, Kaden and Tori talk, but most of the time she just asked me about my social life. I could talk for hours with Leah. I would tell her about Embry.

"Jenna?" My mother said, waving a hand in front of my face, "Anybody home?"

"Sorry!" I exclaimed, "What did you need from the store?"

"Basil." She said, giving me that same examining look.

I grabbed my tennis shoes off the floor. "I'll be back."

My mother smiled, "Be careful." Hah, if only she'd told me that yesterday.

I ran out the door, feeling way better than I had yesterday. This time I stopped at the top of the stairs, picking up my brother's toys. I looked into the front window, knowing that my brother was sitting just on the other side of the glass. Sure enough, he was watching me. I smiled apologetically and waved at him, sitting his toys on the wooden railing before running to the sidewalk.


	4. Chapter 4

I breathed in the crisp morning air. It smelled like rain and earth. Like La Push. I was at peace, decided. I was going to put an end to all of this; it was an accident, a mistake. Mistakes could be fixed, they weren't the end of the world. I was on the pill, so I wasn't going to let one night ruin the friendship Embry and I shared. No worries.

It was only a five-minute walk to the small line of stores that kept La Push running. Embry's was on the end closest to the highway, adorned with two signs: _Welcome to La Push_ and _Call's Hunting and Home Supply_. Of course, everyone in La Push knew that Embry stocked groceries in the back room and behind the counter, for residents and really desperate looking tourists.

He looked up from the counter when I walked in, the bell above the door ringing, "Jenna!" My name came out of his mouth like a sacred oath, like he actually cared. I pushed the thought away, I couldn't let myself think about it.

"Hi." I said softly, losing some of my confidence at the sight of him. He looked stressed out, ruts in his hair where he'd run his fingers through it, something I knew he only did when he was really upset. I took a deep breath, walking up to the counter. "Do you have any basil?"

"Basil?" He whispered, handing me a glass jar from under the cash register like a zombie, "Jenna, we need to talk."

I tilted my chin up, in the defiant manner I shared with my mother, "No, we don't. Embry, last night was a mistake. It was no ones fault." My confidence wavered, and I looked at my shoes before chancing a look at his face, "Honestly, I'm glad it was you and not some other creep."

"Some other creep?" he whispered to himself in disbelief, horror written on his face, "Jenna, I'm supposed to protect you."

I felt bad. I'd meant to put everything to rest, not upset him more. I put a finger to his lips, "Embry, don't talk about it. It's okay. I don't want one night to ruin our friendship." He looked down, shame in his brown eyes, which I noticed, for what didn't feel like the first time, that his eyes were almost gold. I put my hand under his chin, forcing him to look me in the eyes, "I'm okay. You're still my best friend. Alright?"

"I should never have done that to you!" He yelled out, looking more anxious than I'd ever seen before.

True to my heritage, I exploded into a full-blown rage from nothing, "Embry! Shut up!" I slapped him and he simply stared at me, mouth open in shock. I put a five-dollar bill on the counter; "Just let it go. I'll see you tonight." I muttered as I walked out the door, the little bell sounding happily.

At home in the kitchen, Mom was holding an icepack to my throbbing hand, "Jenna, really?" She said for the hundredth time in disbelief, "You slapped him?"

I nodded, measuring a half cup of milk out with my other hand. "Yup! Just like that, I slapped him, and I'm the one who needs an ice pack. Oh the irony. I bet everyone'll get a good kick out of my stupidity."

"You're lucky." She said, sitting on the stool next to me, looking rather pale.

"Lucky?" I chortled, thinking she was making a joke, but then stopped. She wasn't laughing. Her face was scrunched up with the same expression she usually saved for when dad wasn't home exactly when he said he would be. "Mom?"

She touched me on the cheek, "I don't think you should come to the bonfire tonight."

"What? Why?" I yelled, standing up.

She held the icepack to her chest, "I just don't think it's a good idea to have you near him while you are fighting."

"Mom, we aren't fighting, he was just being an idiot. Really, we'll be fine." I said, I wasn't about to miss seeing my family.

"It's not safe!" She yelled, and we both stared at each other, my mother almost never raised her voice, to anyone, and never at me. Uncle Billy, maybe, but never at me; or Megan for that matter.

I put a hand on her arm. She had me worried now. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Her bottom lip quivered and she looked away, "Nothing."

"Mom, please, tell me what's wrong." I pleaded.

She shook her head and tears fill her eyes, "I'm so sorry, but I can't tell you."

"Just try, Mom, please. Why are you so afraid?" I was practically begging her.

"I can't tell you the truth, Jenna. Not yet, but soon. I promise." She said.

"You can never tell me the truth! Could you just look me in the eyes and tell me why you keep lying to me?" I yelled at her.

Those threatened tears fell from her eyes, "I'm sorry, Jenna. I just can't." She got up and a moment later, I heard her bedroom door shut. I was so tired of her lying to me, of always feeling like I was an outsider.

I went outside, thinking I was just going to take a drive to Forks to clear my head, but my ancient red truck wouldn't start. The truck had been fine when I'd driven it yesterday, and in a town filled to the brink with mechanics, it was apparent that someone had messed with it to keep me from leaving. My father, more than likely. The thought of someone sabatoging my car sent me into a full blown rage. I couldn't stay here anymore, not by myself.

I went up to my own room and grabbed my phone, dialing the number to my dorm room. My roommate, Vitalia, answered on the first ring, "Hey, it's Vitalia, what's up?"

"Hey, Vi."

"Jenna!" She screeched in my ear, "I miss you already! How does it feel to be home?"

I told her everything that had happened, and she was instantly serious, "You just hang out at your house, and Russ and I will be there in two hours."

Russ, or Russell rather, was her husband, and possibly the only man that didn't live in La Push that looked instantly intimidating. He lived just off campus with their three year old son, Luca. Knowing that she was bringing the tight lipped Russian comforted me. "Luca too?" I asked.

She laughed, "Yup, we'll bring the little one too, he'll enjoy the car ride to see Aunt Jenna." The little boy did love me, and I loved him too. I loved them all, and sometimes, I could convince myself that they were my family. It was easier to think of the people who had been so welcoming and loving to me as my family.

I heard her speak in fluent Russian to her husband, due partly to the fact that he wasn't a fan of speaking English, and partly because I got the feeling that most of what she said to her husband was wholly inapropriate in English. Vitalia was nothing if not a flirt. He was secretive, but he looked at Vitalia like she hung the moon and the stars, and his son was their world. I looked at the door and heard my mother moving around the house, "Just hurry, I'll meet you at the city limit."

"Why?" She asked.

"I don't feel comfortable having you two come here."

"Just because they don't tell you everything doesn't mean that you need to keep your little town hidden away. We'll pick you up at your house, if you're sure you really want to leave. Besides, I think it's time we met your family."

I smiled, "Okay, just drive slow when you get into town, and pray no one shoots you."

Vi hissed over the phone, "Don't say that so loudly, Russell doesn't need to think they'll outshoot him. You know how cranky that makes him." I heard Luca giggle, "Yeah, daddy gets so growly, doesn't he, baby boy?"

He cooed again, "Yup, yup!"

"He gets so happy when everyone else is angry. He is his father's son." She said incredulously, "We'll be there for you soon, lady, don't worry." She made shuffling noises, "Tell Aunt Jenna bye."

"Bye bye Jemma!" The toddler yelled into the phone and I smiled, he was an adorable little boy.

"See you soon, Jenna-boo." Vi said in a sing-songy voice. The phone clicked off and I felt so much better. The sunny blonde was my best friend, and a great person.

I packed up my things again, fully intending to not spend another night, and dismantled my bed, putting it back under Megan's. I looked around her room, and couldn't help but agree that something was terribly wrong with her. Before I had left, she had had friends, and pictures of all of them had littered her side of the room. When I had gone to college, I had expected her junk to expand to my side of the room, but now there was nothing, anywhere. The pink paint was still on the walls, the only thing to identify the resident as a girl.

Locking the door, I got a little nosier, pilfering through the desk drawers. They were mostly filled with school stuff, and that was when I found her last report card. There was no way my parents had seen it. She was failing three of her classes, and the others were on the borderline. Our parents had always pushed us to get good grades. "Megan, what is going on with you?" I whispered to myself.

One of the drawers was locked, and I knew I'd find a clue to her abnormal behaviour if I could open it. A plus of living in a town with far too many men, picking locks was something I'd managed to learn. A bobby pin was sitting ontop of the dresser, begging for me to use it. I sat on the ground and spent the next few minutes gigling the pin in the lock until I heard it click open. "What the hell are you doing?" Megan was standing at the door, her face full of rage. She looked worse than she had just an hour earlier, tired, and really weak.

"How did you get in here?" I asked, certain I had locked the door before snooping.

"The lock's broken! What are you doing in my room?" She exclaimed.

"It's my room too!" I said, making the mistake of standing up. Her eyes widened when she saw what I had been doing. She lunged past me and slammed the drawer closed, but not before I got a glimpse of a box in the depths of the container. My sister and I locked eyes. Her face was red and she looked scared of me, of what I had seen. And she had every right to be.


	5. Chapter 5

Alright, so I know I said that this chapter would be Embry, but...I lied..mostly...It starts out as Jenna still, but the last half is Embry POV. Then the next chapter should be him too, or possibly half and half again.

If you like it, REVIEW!

-Jenn

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><p>We started screaming at each other, and after a few minutes, I wasn't sure what either of us were saying. "What the hell is going on in here?" Our mother was standing at the top of the stairs, her hands on her hips. In any other situation, I would have laughed at the comicalness of her posture. Megan looked ready to sink into the floor, or at the very least become a chameleon and blend into the wall. She wasn't about to say anything, and moved to brush past our mother, who put an arm out, "Not so fast. Both of you, talk, now."<p>

Megan glared up at our mother, "Let me leave."

"No, Megan. You're staying right here. Talk!" My mother was getting snappy in her older years.

"I don't have anything to say." She said, crossing he arms over her chest. She was visibly shaking, and I put a hand on he arm, fixing our mother with a rather bold look.

"I was just trying to convince Megan to fix my car and go on a drive with me. She's rather reluctant." It was the strangest feeling, lying to my mother, I'd never done it so outrightly, so to her face. Even though my entire family had made it an art to lie to me, I still had always told them the truth. Sure, I lied to other people, but never to my parents or my siblings. Megan was holding her breath, afraid of what our mother was going to say.

Mom pursed her lips, "Okay then. I would have thought you two were past screaming at each other, but I guess not." She was suddenly blushing, "Sorry about your car. I thought you might try to leave today. Couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye."

"Honestly, Mom, I was planning to leave, but..." I glanced at Megan, "...I think I need to stay for a while longer." I tempered my response just enough to make it seem organic; I had, after all, learned to lie from the best.

My mother smiled gratefully, "Megan, go with her. You girls need to spend some time together. You're sisters after all. I fought with mine all the time, but we always made up."

I grabbed Megan's arm and led her down the stairs, "Bye, Mom!"

"Megan!" Mom yelled at us when we got to the front door. "Watch your sister out there."

I was the one that should be watching her, my possibly pregnant sixteen year old little sister. "Don't worry, Mom, we'll be okay. Not like we've never gone outside in La Push before." I said, unlocking the door and waving at Rafe with an apologetic smile on my face. He seemed to have forgiven me, and gave me a small smile with a little wave. My smile fell when Megan and I got outside. I pushed her towards my truck, "Fix it."

She shot me a weak look, but went to work under the hood of my truck, closing it in just a few minutes. "There."

I opened the door for her, making sure my cell phone was still in my pant pocket, "Thank you. Now come on. We need to talk."

"Don't do this, Jenna. Please, just ignore it." She looked so sad I almost let her walk away, but I kept with my gut. She needed someone to talk to whether she wanted to or not. I shook my head, and she got in the car.

I drove us to the cliff all of us La Push kids always dove off of for fun. We sat down on a rock overlooking the water, and stayed there in silence for several minutes. "Megan, are you..." I began tentatively.

"I'm not sure!" She said, curling over on herself, putting her head between her knees as she started crying. I put an arm on her back and started to rub circles into it like our mom had when we were young.

"Meggie, you had the tests. Have you not taken any of them?" She shook her head and my heart clenched. "You have to know. This isn't something you can just ignore. Have you even been eating?"

She lifted her tear stained face, "I know. And no, I haven't. I know I should be, but I'm just sick feeling all the time. Just stop patronizing me!"

I nodded, wiping her face off as best as I could, "Okay, just let me get you to a doctor."

She shook her head in a panic, "No! You don't understand, I can't let Mom and Dad find out. If we go to the clinic in La Push they'll know in half an hour!"

"Then we won't go to La Push. I have friends coming in an hour and a half, but they can deal without me for a little while. We can go to the hospital in Forks. Grandpa Charlie is off for the weekend, right, down for the bonfire? No one from La Push will be in Forks right now." She nodded, and I pulled her to her feet, grabbing her still muscular arms as she swayed.

She stared at the ground with a nauseated look on her face, "Meggie, you okay?" I asked, pushing her back down.

She nodded slowly after a few minutes, "I think so."

"Come on." I murmured, helping her back to the car.

We were silent while I drove, and when we were in Forks, Megan kept her head down. I knew for her to be trusting me with something like this meant that she was scared. Whatever they were keeping from me didn't scare her as much as the possibility of being pregnant did. When I pulled in to the hospital parking lot she looked up at me, "Thank you, Jenna, for doing this for me. The way I've acted, you had every right to tell Mom."

I smiled at her, "I wouldn't do that. I'm your big sister. It's time I had the chance to act like one."

Being such a small town, there weren't many people in the hospital when we got in. The receptionist smiled at us, "Jenna, what's going on?" I'd spent time up at the Forks hospital volunteering over the summer, so a bunch of the people there knew me.

I smiled back at her, "Not much, just back for break. I don't think you've ever met my sister, Megan." My sister waved shyly from my side, "I got the lovely duty of bringing her in to see someone. Mom's worried about a cough she apparently can't get rid of. Can anyone see us now, or should we come back tomorrow?"

She consulted the papers on her desk, "You're in luck, our new doctor just got here. He can see you."

"New doctor?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Dr. Michaels finally retired. We hired Dr. Cullen last week, and his entire family got here yesterday. You'll like him." Megan looked more ill than before but didn't say anything until the girl set us up in a room, putting Megan's very small file in the basket next to the door.

"This was a bad idea, Jenna, we should have gone to Seattle or something." She was panicking.

"No, Megan, you need to know." She didn't look any calmer, and started worry with a tassel on her shirt. "Mererid." I said, using her real name.

Her silver eyes jerked up, "I'm sorry. I'm just so scared."

I hugged her, pulling my fingers through her curls, "It's okay to be scared." I said, thinking about how I would feel right now if I wasn't positive that I was on the pill and couldn't possibly have gotten pregnant from Embry. "I told you this a long time ago, but it's still true. Jenavieve will always watch after her Mererid. Do you remember that?" She nodded against my shoulder and I pulled away from her, hearing someone pick up the file from outside the door. "You'll be okay." I mouthed at her when the door opened.

The man walked in, head down, opening Megan's file. "Hello Miss... Clearwater?" He looked up at us, a stunned look on his impossibly handsome face, a face I didn't recognize. "Megan?" He said, looking at my sister before looking at me, "Jenna?"

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><p>I couldn't believe what I had done to Jenna. I'd opened the store in a daze, her scent all over me. When she had come in, I had wanted to kill myself all over again. Her upper lip had a cut on it, and beneath her makeup, I could tell she had a black eye. I hadn't done the visible damage to my beautiful girl, but I hadn't protected her from it. I had let her go off to college with that boy, thinking that she would have been safe there. I should have gone with her, stayed where I could have kept her safe from that bastard.<p>

She had called me terrified, "E-embry, please, come get me!" She had started sobbing. "Please come help me! I didn't mean too lead him on. He...He...God, I think he's following me." She had hung up, but I hadn't needed her to tell me where she was.

I nearly busted down the door of my own house to get outside, and had to restrain myself from Shifting once my feet hit the Washington soil, instead taking my car. I followed her scent from her parents house where her red truck, Bella's red truck, was still sitting. Closer to where the party was supposed to have been, her floral scent became laced with blood.

I became human again, glad that Lilly had taught us toIt had just been two minutes since she had first called, and I found them quickly. Max was dragging her on the ground, and she was trying to kick herself free.

"Let her go!" I yelled, throwing the boy away from her. "Jenna!" She was so tiny looking, bloody but still pretty, and thankfully she fainted. She didn't need to see what I was going to do to the little bastard. After beating him nearly to death, I had picked her up, and carried her back to my car and then home.

By the time we got there, I was covered in blood, both hers and his, mostly his though. The blow to her head was what I was worried about most, the cut on her cheek still bleeding. I kept changing my mind about whether to take her to her parents so they could take her to a hospital or keeping her with me.

She woke up a little bit as I walked up the front steps of my tiny house. I started to put her down, but she had just nestled into me, "Embry."

In the end, I didn't have the heart to separate myself from her and had begun the delicate process of pulling her shredded jacket off of her bleeding shoulder. I tossed the ruined article in the trash and set to wiping the blood off as gently as I could.

I couldn't get her clean with what I had in my bedroom, the only option was to pull off her skirt and leave her in her underwear, and take her to the shower.

I'd forgotten how tall she'd gotten in the last few years. Her mother had pulled me away from her after she'd turned fifteen, but I'd always kept as close as I could. "Embry." I remembered her saying, sitting on my front porch when she was thirteen, "Will you stay with me forever? Momma doesn't like me spending so much time over here, but I don't care. You're my best friend."

I had laughed at her, and started to tickle her, "Your my best friend too, Jenna. I'll stay with you as long as you want me to."

She had hugged him, "I'll hold you to that." She grinned, "Now how about that ice cream you promised earlier?" I'd taken her for ice cream and then we'd stayed out late and looked at the stars until her mom had made me bring her home.

I'd cleaned her up, even with her practically naked, my only thoughts were about making sure she was okay. It was the one thing about the bond between a La Push wolf and its imprint. Lilly had treated me like a pervert when all I wanted was to be whatever Jenna needed me to be.

When I was drying her off, she stirred again, this time with more clarity in her eyes. "Embry." She smiled blearily, "You came and got me."

"Yes, I did." I'd kissed her on the forehead, "I'll always be there for you. You feel okay?" Everything had gone down from there. She had been the one to take things that one step farther, that one step we'd never taken. And I had taken advantage of her after that, all of my suppressed instincts coming to a head at once.

I couldn't help but to think bitterly that maybe Lilly was right the whole time. No matter what Jenna said, it was my fault. I had let my instinct take over, and it had robbed us of our friendship. Things could never be the same.


	6. Chapter 6

Here we go, another chapter. I'm running short on time so this isn't going to be too long...my A/N that is. The chapter is very long. I hope you enjoy it. Tensions rise farther, and the Cullens make an appearence, only to actually all come back in the next chapter or so.

Review!

-Jenn

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><p>"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked, even though I knew I didn't. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Megan was shaking, and looked terrified.<p>

He smiled easily, a smile that was supposed to put me at ease, but didn't. "No, we've never met. I recognized you from your family photos. I'm an old family friend. I'm Carlisle Cullen." He held out his hand and I shook it, but ripped my hand from his. His hand was so cold.

"Nice to meet you then." I said politely.

He looked from me to Megan, "Well, Miss Clearwater, what seems to be the matter?"

She didn't say anything, and i wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible now, so I nudged her forward, "She thinks she's pregnant."

He nodded, motioning her up onto the table before the gentle questioning began, "Jenna? Are you alright?"

The doctor was talking to me, and I realized that ten minutes had passed, Megan was standing next to me, "Jenna, he asked if you would bring me back tomorrow for the results."

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I can do that. Come on, Megan, we should get back to the Reservation."

She had her arms wrapped around herself, looking warily at the doctor, but followed closely behind me as I practically ran to the door, "Jenna?" A man walking through the door said, and I stopped against my better judgement.

The boy talking to me was just as handsome as the doctor, bronze hair and caramel colored eyes, he had to be the doctor's son, "Yes?"

He smiled, "I'm sorry to startle you, it's just been such a long time. I'm Edward Cullen. You and I used to play together when you were young. I recognized you..."

"From family photos." I finished for him, "I'm sorry, really, I'd love to chat, but I need to take my sister home."

He smiled and it made my skin crawl, "It's all right, my family and I will be coming to the bonfire tonight. Have a safe drive."

I nodded, grabbing Megan's hand and pulling her out to my ancient truck. We drove in silence, and I went straight to the kitchen when we arrived home, "Mom? You need more help?"

She came from around the corner that led to the laundry room, "Not unless you want to get your brother ready. He's being a bit stubborn about getting out of his pajamas. I think we're entering the rebellious stage a little early with him." She smiled warily and I hugged her, "Oh!" She exclaimed, but ran her fingers through my hair anyway, "Are you alright, Jenna?"

"Yeah, Meggie and I got through our stuff. I think things will be better now." I released her, "I'll go take care of Rafe."

"Thank you, Jenna!" She call out after me as I trotted out of the room, trying to appear more at ease than I actually was.

Rafe was still sitting in the front room, looking out the window like he saw something no one else could see. "Rafe? Are you ready to go get dressed?"

He looked at me straight on, "Are you going to leave tonight?"

I shrugged, thinking of my little sister, of him, of Embry, of my parents, and the Cullens. "Not tonight, Rafe. I'm going to stay tonight at least. Will you go get dressed?"

He nodded, and flung himself at me like I had just done to our mother. I grabbed his legs and lifted him up onto my hip. He kissed my check, "I missed you, Jenna."

I ruffled his dark hair and took him to his room, waiting at the door while he pulled on a polo over his Iron Man pj shirt. I arched an eyebrow at him and he giggled, pulling both shirts off and replacing the polo. He was cheeky, but it made us love him all that more. If I ever did have a family of my own, I wanted a son as innocent and funny as my baby brother.

"Ready, Rafe?" I said, once he had changed pants too.

He nodded, throwing himself back into my arms. I grunted under his weight, and he looped his arms around my neck, "Can I ride with you?"

I shrugged, carrying him down the stairs, "I don't know, why don't you ask Momma?"

When he yelled right in my ear I winced, and our mother laughed at my face, "MOMMA! Can I ride with Jenna?"

She stifled a laugh, "If she can hear anymore."

"I'll take him, Mom." I said, putting him down, "You're too big for that Rafe. You're going to break my back. Go put your shoes on." I took his coat off of the rack next to the door, "I'm going to go ahead and go, if that's alright with you."

My Mom looked up the stairs, "Megan! Do you want to go to Emily's with your sister or come with your father and I?"

"I'll go with you guys!" Megan called from our room, her voice was stronger, but still had a bit of a waver to it.

Mom gave me a questioning look, "Don't worry, everything is better now. I think she was still getting something to wear."

"You going to change?" She gave me the same look I had given Rafe.

I blushed, and grabbed one of Megan's cardigans from the laundry room and put it over the tank top I had put on under my hoodie that morning, "Better?" I asked, meeting her again by the door.

She smiled, "Much." She straightened the pink fabric, and brushed my hair with her fingers, "You're so beautiful. I'd almost forgotten." She must have been feeling nostalgic, so I hugged her.

"I love you mom."

"I know. Now, you be careful with your brother. Don't let him drive." She said with a smile, helping him into his coat.

"I will. It's not that far you know. Just a few minutes." She was going to say something else but I opened the door. "By mom, see you soon."

I helped Rafe into his seat and drove to Emily and Sam's. It was a cute place, with stairs that made you feel like a princess when you walked up them. Once I stepped onto the landing, I was engulfed in a giant body. "Jenna!" It was my Uncle Sam. He, like my parents, held onto me like I was going to run away.

"Hi Uncle Sam. How you been?" I said, my voice muffled by his rainproof jacket.

He moved fluidly from me to Emily, his wife. "We've been pretty good. How's our college girl?"

I shrugged, walking inside with them, holding Rafe by the hand. "It's been pretty good. My classes our kind of tough, but I'm managing alright." I let Rafe go join our younger cousins in the living room, the shrieks of happy children filling the house like it always did.

Emily hugged me, "It's so good to see you. Come on, help me take these things outside." She handed me a slow-cooker filled with what looked to be some sort of lasagna. "Go on, you need to get used to working again! How long are you home for?"

She followed me outside to the tables that were lined up against the porch, "I have three weeks off, but I was thinking about going back early."

"Why?" She asked, straightening a table cloth.

"Oh, just Megan and I fighting. I didn't really want to deal with it, but we seemed to have made up today. I think things are going to be better, so I'll stick around for a little longer." I said, going back inside with her.

"It's good that you two made up. I remember the days when you two were inseparable, it was really cute." She said, looking out the window, "Hey, your folks are here."

I went outside to greet my parents. I was instantly aware at how tired my father looked, "Dad?"

He smiled weakly, "Hey, baby doll."

"Are you okay?"

He nodded, "Just had a rough day at work."

"I'm sorry." I said, "Are Aunt Leah and Uncle Stone coming, I saw Catori and Kaden, but I can't find their parents."

"They're on a little vacation, they should get back not too long after dinner. I know Leah can't wait to see you again." He hugged me, kissing the top of my head before heading to talk to Sam.

It was wonderful to see all of the kids again, they were so sweet, and were all really happy to see me. Rafe stuck pretty close to me, as if to show all the other little ones that I was his big sister. As if they needed any reminder, I had babysat most of them up until I'd gone to college, our cousins 'Tori and Kaden especially.

Embry, was luckily down the road with Billy, our tribal historian.

I kept a close eye on Megan, she sat on the porch in a rocking chair after dinner, her legs up against her chest. I watched Emily tap her on the shoulder, and beacon her into the house, leaving me alone outside with Sam.

I smiled at him, and folded up some of the table clothes, throwing the ones that had been stained in a pile to be washed.

Sam suddenly looked serious, "We miss you here." He said, eyes down

"I know. I miss everyone too. You guys are my family."

"Exactly, that's why you should stay home." He said, looking stern.

"Why? It's not like I've gone that far away!" I said, half laughing, heading up the steps into the house.

Sam grabbed my arm, stopping me in the doorway, "You need to come home. You should have never left."

I clenched my jaw and set him with a dark look, "Sam, let go of me. If you hadn't noticed, I am grown now, and you are not my father."

"I am the leader of this tribe, you will listen to me." He said, not coddling me like he had when I first left.

I was so tired of people treating me like a child, "Sam," I began, dropping all pretenses of formality, "you know I don't believe. We live in a new age. You don't own me or my family. Let me go."

His response was covered up by an obscenely loud motor running, one I knew all too well. I sighed in relief and turned towards the noise. A thin body swung a leg over the side of a sleek black motorcycle. As she pulled off her helmet, blonde hair fell in waves down to her shoulders in pigtails. "Jenna!"

We ran to each other, and I hugged Vitalia like it had been months since we'd seen each other, not just three days, "Vi! I'm so glad you're here!"

She laughed, "You invited me," she looked around, "but it looks like I missed dinner."

"Yeah, but we can get you something inside. There's plenty of..." I looked at her and then to the motorcycle, realization hitting me, "You stole his bike again?"

She beamed, "He was being slow, running through his checklist. I was ready to go. Don't worry, he and Luca are just a few miles behind me."

I shook my head at my best friend, grabbing her arm, "Come on in, I want you to meet my family."

On the way into the house, she asked me about Megan, and I just told her that I would explain later but I wouldn't be going home with her. She had just smiled and straightened her shirt. All eyes were on us as we entered the living room, "Jenna." my father began carefully, "Who is this?"

Before I had the chance to speak, Vi put an arm around my waist, "I'm her girlfriend."

The expressions were priceless.

Vi laughed, and shook her head, letting me go so quickly that I stumbled a few steps to the side, "I'm just teasing. I'm her best friend and roommate." She held a hand out to my father, her expression set on intense, her grey-blue eyes unflinching, "My name is Vitalia Moretti. You must be Jenna's father, she looks just like you." She smiled at us both, and thankfully my father responded semi-cordially.

"Yes, I'm Jenna's father, Seth Clearwater."

Vi shook his hand, "If you don't mind me saying, you seem more concerned with the fact that I'm here than with the fact that I was just joking about dating your daughter."

I was rather proud of my father's response, "I'll be honest with you...Vitalia... Jenna's never brought a friend to the bonfire. We're all just a little surprised."

"That's understandable. And, please, call me Vi. I'll make myself as little of a bother as possible. I'll just blend in. You guys won't even notice I'm here." I didn't have the heart to tell her that as a tall blonde, she had no chance of fitting in with my primarily Native American family. Even I stood out, with my caucasian mother and resulting lighter skin tone. I was by no means as pale as my mother, but I was a good four or five shades lighter than the rest of my family.

My father just looked at me, and I knew that I was going to get a talking to...until almost all of the men in my family suddenly stood and looked towards the road. There was a strange noise that filled the air, a growl almost, something I remembered as if from a childhood dream, familiar but distant. My mother was at my side before I could remember exactly where I'd heard that sound before and what had made it, "Jenna, why don't you take the kids and your friend down to Billy's? Tell him we'll all be there once we've taken care of some things."

"Okay." I said, noticing already that some of the mothers of the tribe were putting their kids into the bed of my truck and others were driving away in their own cars with their kids.

My mother kissed my forehead and nudged me towards the car, "There's going to be some family friends down at Billy's. They're a little strange, but I'd like you to get to know them. Watch your brother."

"What about Megan?" I asked.

My mother looked torn over something. Megan came to my side though, giving our mother an odd look, "I'll go with them. If that's okay."

"Okay, just go." She replied, pushing us both towards the truck. I made sure the kids were safely in the bed, with Megan to make sure we didn't have any of them fall out. Vitalia, Rafe and I got into the cab.

I was just on the road when another car appeared behind us down the dirt road. It was a car I recognized, and stopped my truck. Vi and I jumped out. I couldn't remember if that was her car or not, but from her reaction to it, it had to be.

Several things happened at once. All of the adults that had stayed behind formed a semicircle around my truck, putting themselves between us and the other car. "Jenna, what are you doing? Go!" My father yelled, pushing me against the truck.

The other car slowed to a stop and Vitalia tried to move between my parents to get to it. "Stop, you need to leave, now. You don't know who that is."

Vitalia looked like she understood why they were all freaking out, even if I didn't, "I'm sorry, but I do know." She pulled a hunting knife out of it's holster around her waist, and held it towards my mother. "If you don't get out of my way, I'll slit you from ear to ear."

I was nearly frozen in confusion and terror, but my voice still remained, "Vi! What are you doing? That's my mother!"

She looked back at me sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Jenna, I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have come if I'd known."

The door to the other car opened, and Vitalia ran between my distracted parents. They were all stunned when she threw herself at the man that pulled had himself out of the car. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, and, impossibly fast, he turned, throwing her into the seat he had just vacated…behind bullet proof glass.


	7. Chapter 7

Yet again, running short on time, heading out to tour UNT! Loads of fun, I'm sure. I started this chapter by writing two diffrent, shorter versions that I wasn't happy with before blending them together and finishing it out to give you this chapter! I hope you like it, and thank Lizesme's review for reminding me about this story.

Review!

-Jenn

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><p>"Why were you keeping Vitalia from me?" He said coldly, and it was even colder than his normal tone, something I didn't think was possible. I could imagine how red his eyes were, how they always got when someone threatened his Vitalia.<p>

"Russell! They didn't mean to! They're just not used to someone like you so close to a human, so close to here without express permission." Vitalia yelled from inside the car.

He looked back over his shoulder at her with a look that usually ended up with him kicked out of their bedroom for a few days. "It does not matter. You are none of their concern."

My stubborn best friend exited the car, her blond son on one hip, "Russell, let me handle this. Your skills of diplomacy are practically nonexistent."

"Vitalia..." He said, her name rolling of his tongue in a growl. She put a hand on his chest, and whispered something to him I was sure shouldn't have been said anywhere near their son, judging by the suddenly euphoric expression that crossed Russell's face before he regained his stony composure.

"Please, Jenna is family, I trust you realize that there is a time and a place for things like this and that this is not that place." She looked at me, and smiled. My father growled at her, "I understand your...uneasiness about my husband, but I assure you, he is no danger to you all."

"They are a danger to us." Russell growled, and Vi shoved at him.

"Get in the car you big brute, you aren't making anything any better." Vitalia hissed putting their son in his arms, "I mean it. Get. In. The. Car."

He cursed in Russian, but took the blond toddler from his mother. When Vi handed Luca to Russell, the growls from my family started again. Vi shot a dark look at them, "My husband is not about to hurt his son."

Looking over all of the people around me, his gaze settled on Sam and my parents. "One wrong move, and I will end this. No one hurts my Vitalia. You don't harm her, and you have nothing to fear from me."

Vitalia held her ground, and I envied her courage, "Mind your manners and get in the stupid car. Jenna won't let them hurt me. Will you, Jenna?"

I shook my head numbly, my mouth running away from me, "No. I'm not sure what's going on, but I won't let anyone hurt anyone."

She smiled sweetly at me, "Thank you, Jenna. See, Russell, I'll be just fine."

"I don't like this." He said, his upper lip pulling up in disgust.

"It will be fine, really." He refused to move, a marble statue against her human hands. She backed off. "I had hoped to avoid this, but you just have to be difficult, don't you? Get in the car, Desyat!" She yelled the name that always cowed him into submission and he backed off, but didn't turn his back on my family as he got in the car.

He had been trained from his early childhood to protect her, and in order to accomplish the level of brainwashing needed to make him to put the needs of others before his own, they had called each trainee by a number in Russian. Russell had been the number ten, and the word still made him cringe. It always upset Vitalia when she had to hurt him like that, but he had been dead set against backing down and I think we both knew that would end badly.

I ducked underneath my father's arms when Russell was finally in the car, putting myself between my friend and my family. "Can we take this to the bonfire now, down at Billy's? We don't need to talk about this in front of the kids, do we?"

"Jenna." My father started, and I held out a hand. I wasn't an idiot. Once I had overcome the shock, I had a clue as to what was going on.

"Don't you dare start. I don't know why I thought that our family secret would be normal. After I learned about Russell, should anything really surprise me?" I was tired of being lied to, and now that I had the idea that the big family secret was supernatural, I was just done. "Would someone park my truck? I'm going to ride down the street with the only people that have been totally honest with me."

Vi put a hand on my arm, trying to calm me down like she was usually so good at. It wasn't going to work now. "Jenna, they didn't want to lie to you." She looked at my mother, "They were ordered not to tell you."

"Why?"

She bent down and picked up a handful of the Washington soil, "I'm not certain. Things have happened here. This soil, it has lots of stories to tell. I'm sorry, but we don't have the time for me to dig any deeper." She looked up at me, brushing her hands off on her leather pants. "Come, they'll be honest with you now. It's actually easier this way." She winked at me, "Everything will be easier now."

"Wha...?" I started and she grabbed my hand, pulling me to the car. I directed Russell to Billy's house, and was unsurprised to see the Cullen's waiting for us. "Hello Dr, Edward." I said cordially, nodding to the vampires, who were looking at Russell critically.

Vitalia rolled her eyes at them, "He's not a danger to any humans. I'm his...I believe the word you use is...Singer. The only blood that appeals to him is mine. Also, killing my husband in front of our son would be cruel."

"How did you know what Russell was?"

My mother tried to play dumb, "What is he, Russian?"

"No, mother, he's a vampire. But you already knew that, didn't you?" She recoiled from my harsh tone.

My father spoke next, and I was relieved to hear the truth out of his mouth, "Yes, we know about vampires. The Cullens, they are..."

"Vampires. Yes, I know that. What I want to know is what you are."

"Shifters, Jenna. Almost all of us." I heard Embry's voice from behind Sam and my attention was instantly riveted on him.

"Shifters, as in were wolfs?" I asked, my heart beating faster as I remembered all of the tribal stories I had grown up hearing at bon fires. He nodded. They really were Spirit Warriors.

Vi grinned, "See, Jenna? I told you things would be easier! They could smell him coming. If they'd been paying attention, they probably would have smelled him on you too."

Suddenly, everyone was talking at once. They were all screaming at Embry. My mind was reeling. My family...they weren't human? It was loud, and the pressure building in my head sent my temper over the edge. "Would everyone shut up!" I yelled, and silence fell upon the members of my extended family and friends, as well as the Cullen vampires.

Russell handed the Luca to me, who instantly had his hands in my long brown hair. He was so used to the menacing presence of his father that he didn't even realize that the air was filled with unbearable tension. The solid weight of him in my arms was comforting though, and I felt myself calm down. I smiled gratefully at Russell who simply tipped his head at me.

He knew that Luca's skin was like a relaxant drug, even if it didn't effect him. That was one of the reasons Luca was so used to being passed around by the three of us, that and he was just too cute to deny.

"Fascinating." I heard the Dr. Cullen say, and I looked up at him. His unblinking golden eyes were fixed on Luca who was now resting his chubby cheek against my neck, his eyelids bobbing as he fought sleep.

You could practically see the gears in the vampire's head turning. It was like he was analyzing the boy from across the clearing. It unnerved me, but Vi didn't seem to mind. "You're interested in our son's gift, no?"

"I apologize, but, yes. Jenna was just perusing the basics in her mind." I gasped and he looked at me apologetically, "My son, Edward, is a mind reader, he told me what you were thinking." He looked back to Vi, "Are you gifted?"

She smiled maliciously, "Yes, Carlisle." He arched an eyebrow at her casual use of his first name. She crouched down and scooped up another handful of dirt. "I'm a psychometrist, Vitalia Marie Morretti née Rinaldi, the daughter of an Italian diplomat, Angelo Rinaldi, and his Russian bride, Vita Travunskaya." She let the dirt fall through her fingers, "My mother's family came from very old blood. I've been told that magic ran strong in the Russian past. My mother was not gifted, and I'm not certain if my brother was since I have nothing of his. Does that satisfy your curiosity? I'm not in the mood to talk anymore about my mother and brother so don't ask. Perhaps later, but not now. This meet is about you all, not me. I'm glad you find my son interesting and I'll give you permission now to test him later."

"Carissimi, non preoccuparti. Tutto andrà bene." Russell said, soothing her in his own special way.

I suddenly put everything together, and looked at my parents in horror. "I'm normal. That's why I was never included in on this big secret. That's it, isn't it?" My knees buckled, but Russell was there to catch me...well more like to catch Luca. He scooped the both of us up, holding me to his chest

"Jenevieve, I believe I should have told you not to worry, shouldn't I? Calm yourself. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation." When his husky voice stopped I realized that every member of my family that was present was growling, my parents and Embry shaking. "Although, they're not too happy about me carrying you." He walked to Vitalia and she took Luca from me. "Thank you, Carissimi."

She smiled, "You're helping my friend. That means the world to me."

"I like Jenna. I never would have chosen her otherwise." He sat me on my feet, but held onto my shoulders to steady me. I was lightheaded, but I suddenly realized that they weren't going to let anyone go anywhere now. Not until it was explained about how I knew about, and become involved with, vampires. Because Russell had chosen me.

"What did you choose her for?" Embry yelled, looking more unbalanced than my parents. I had no doubt that whoever was in control of their little pack was forcing him to keep back. A sudden chill filled me, were my parent's the leaders? It fled quickly, and Russell let me go. I knew who the pack leader was, it was obvious once I remembered what had happened right before Vitalia had gotten to La Push. Sam.

Russell smiled, "I am not the wild thing you must be accustomed to. My first and foremost duty is to protect Vitalia, in life and in death. When I was a boy, we were trained to put our charges first. I can protect her now better than I ever could before, but now I can't enter the sunlight without drawing unwanted attention. When Vitalia insisted that she attend college, I had to make a choice. You're Jenna has made things very easy for us as well." Russell said, drawing me back into a conversation I wasn't sure I was really quite ready to face. "Vitalia needed a roommate, candidates were screened very carefully and Jenna was chosen due to her abilities and interests."

"Her...abilities?" My mother asked, looking confused. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want them to know. My secret had been mine for so long that it still bothered me that Vi and Russell knew.

But Russell just kept on, and I cursed the fact that once he got started talking, he, for all his overtly masculine characteristics, became as chatty as a little girl on a playground. "I screened possible applicants in Vitalia's major first for any sort of disabilities, then looked for family histories, which was where Jenna first stood out. Her grandfather is a police officer, who would have, logically, instilled in her those points of views, the protect and serve qualities. I then looked at their high school transcripts and narrowed the field even farther." He smiled fondly at me, "It was down to three girls, and I took to following them. At first, your Jenna was not any different than the other two, but then, the little shvibzik, she ran off into the forest by herself." He chuckled darkly, "She had no idea I was following her. Her awareness didn't come until I trained her. But her talents, they are all hers. You all think she is merely a human, but she is like my Vitalia, the gift lives in her blood."

"Please, don't. Please stop." I finally choked out.

He smiled at me, "Vitalia has told me the bandage hurts less when ripped off quickly. Do you wish me to continue?"

I looked at Embry, and our eyes met. I wanted to go to him. I didn't really understand why, considering how hard I had worked to avoid him. Things had changed. We had slept together and I was feeling that bond now. My body wanted to find comfort in him. In my mind, he was a safe place now, as safe as my father's arms had once been. I understood why he always had looked so sad. He had wanted to tell me the big secret, but couldn't. It had always been that secret that had nearly torn me away from my family, that had kept him from being open with me. I couldn't let another secret replace the one that had just been revealed. "Yes...yes, keep going. Please."

It was time to come to terms with the fact that I was in no way my parent's little girl anymore. I felt a little smug. They might have kept their secret, but I had my own. Suddenly, sleeping with Embry seemed to be the least of my problems.


End file.
